Four years after the North Texas Tollway Authority paid billions in the contentious State Highway 121 toll-road deal, the one-time cash infusion is being felt, seemingly, everywhere in Collin County.

Road projects totaling some $400 million are under way along U.S. Highway 75 in McKinney north into Melissa. Work zones dot U.S. Highway 380 from eastern McKinney into Frisco. Intersections and hike and bike trails are slated for improvement in Plano and Richardson.

Major roadwork also is planned or under way in Dallas and Denton counties. And $250 million in toll-road money helped pay for the A-Train project between Denton and Carrollton.

On the political front, the long-term wisdom of the NTTA’s toll-road agreement continues to provoke debate and, in some quarters, even resentment. The agency gained control of the road project in exchange for an instant cash payment of some $3.2 billion. Toll-road drivers will face decades of escalating fees.

Yet in the short term, at least, the windfall is fueling one of the largest and most widespread road expansions in Collin County’s history.

“I have to think, without a doubt, that this is one of the busiest times,” said Robert Daake, executive director of McKinney’s development division.

A large portion of the work is pegged for U.S. 75 in McKinney, a community where highways originally designed for rural traffic have become strained by suburban growth. Collin County’s population has more than tripled since 1990 to about 800,000.

The Texas Department of Transportation has launched six expansion projects in a roughly 12-mile stretch of U.S. 75 from 121 to north of Melissa.

Endeavors include rebuilt interchanges at U.S. 380 and Melissa Road, a widened highway and frontage roads and other upgrades. Collectively, the projects will cost nearly $400 million and finish in various stages through 2015.

Money sprung from the toll-road deal also is paying for the completion of 121.

A new interchange has been completed on 75 at 121 in McKinney. And workers are well on their way to finishing a gargantuan ramp system at 121 and the Dallas North Tollway whose height rivals that of nearby office towers.

Almost $200 million in widening projects and other upgrades also have launched along U.S. 380, which has emerged as a bustling outer beltway serving some of Dallas’ farthest-flung northern suburbs.

Slow traffic ahead

For the next few years, many suburban commuters are all but guaranteed to witness construction-related traffic tie-ups.

Toni Young, head of school at the North Texas Christian Academy, which faces southbound 75 in McKinney, said the roadwork has added about 10 minutes to her commute from Allen. That, she says, is a small price to pay for better roads.

But the real test will come when classes start Aug. 22 and parents have to navigate the traffic cones. With its multiple work zones, 75 and its frontage roads routinely back up during morning and evening rush hours.

“I grew up in the area, and I’ve never known any part of it without construction,” Young said. “For me, it’s all just a part of the norm. But other people that move in sometimes are just shocked at all the [road work].”

‘Get it over with’

Like Young, Plano Mayor Phil Dyer takes a long view of all the road work. In Dyer’s city, the toll road-funded projects include a $20 million overhaul of the interchange at 75 and Parker Road that opened in December.

“It causes some inconvenience, but let’s go through it and get it over with,” Dyer said.

Still, as Maso points out, the money from the toll-road deal will not last forever. While the bulldozers are out in force now, regional policymakers will soon face another round of funding choices.

“It’s good to see these roads under construction,” Maso said. “Frankly, the projects under way are badly needed. But we have to figure out what’s next when the money runs out.”

These are being funded by the State Highway 121 toll-road deal:

1. A series of widening and expansion projects totaling almost $400 million on U.S. Highway 75. Completion: In stages through 2015.

2. Interchange construction at Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121. Completion: Sometime in 2012.

3. and 4. Sections of U.S. Highway 380 in Frisco and McKinney are getting upgrades. Completion: In stages through 2014.

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